AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Silicon
Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive
mixed-signal ICs, today introduced a new 32-bit hardware and firmware
development kit designed to accelerate the design of Made for
iPod/iPhone/iPad (MFi) accessories and help product manufacturers get to
market quickly. Leveraging Silicon Labs’ ARM® Cortex®-M3-based SiM3U
microcontroller (MCU), the MFI-SIM3U1XX-DK development kit supports the
all-digital Lightning connector and protocol stack. The new development
kit targets a wide range of accessories for iOS devices including
entertainment accessories, device-powered dongles, game controllers and
docking stations.

Today’s iOS accessory manufacturers are quickly migrating their 30-pin
connector-based products to the Lightning connector standard, which
provides an advanced all-digital connector and re-designed protocol
stack. Silicon Labs designed the MFI-SIM3U1XX-DK kit as a turnkey
solution to help developers simplify their Lightning-based accessory
development projects and speed time to market while meeting the MFi
program requirements with ease.

Silicon Labs’ 32-bit development kit provides an exceptionally
cost-effective and comprehensive solution for accessory developers. The
kit includes everything engineers need to begin developing
Lightning-based accessories right away, including a hardware development
board, firmware libraries and an example iOS App, which supports
Appcessory-style communication between the iOS device and development
board. By simplifying the development process, the new 32-bit kit
enables MFi licensees to focus on what matters most – the accessory
application itself.

The MFI-SIM3U1XX-DK kit enables developers to reduce the cost,
complexity and power consumption of accessories designed for iOS
devices. The SiM3U MCU features fully-specified analog peripherals, an
integrated capacitive touch sense controller, an internal 5 V regulator
and crystal-less USB support, which eliminates the need for discrete
crystal oscillators and reduces bill of materials (BOM) cost, component
count and board space. Device-powered accessory applications benefit
from the SiM3U MCU’s best-in-class power efficiency. The SiM3U MCU
offers ultra-low power consumption with full analog operation down to
1.8 V, achieving a 33 percent lower active current than in-class
competitors and a 5-100x lower sleep current, while a low-current USB
idle mode ensures the viability of device-powered accessories.

“Today’s iOS accessory developers want a simple, efficient
‘out-of-the-box’ experience from their hardware and firmware development
kits,” said Geir Førre, senior vice president and general manager of
Silicon Labs’ microcontroller and wireless products. “We designed our
new 32-bit development kit to accelerate the iOS accessory development
process, support the advanced Lightning connector, and reduce system
cost and energy consumption.”

Pricing and Availability

The MFI-SIM3U1XX-DK development kit is available today to MFi licensees
for $149 (USD). MFi licensees can order the kit through the Apple MFi
Procurement Portal. For additional information about the development
kit, please visit www.silabs.com/mcu.

Silicon Labs

Silicon Labs is an industry leader in the innovation of
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a
world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in mixed-signal
design, Silicon Labs’ diverse portfolio of patented semiconductor
solutions offers customers significant advantages in performance, size
and power consumption. For more information about Silicon Labs, please
visit www.silabs.com.

Cautionary Language

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on
Silicon Labs’ current expectations. These forward-looking statements
involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could
cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could
impact Silicon Labs’ financial results and cause actual results to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, please
refer to Silicon Labs’ filings with the SEC. Silicon Labs disclaims any
intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.

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